Arsenal fans were furious with referee Stuart Atwell after he accused him of ‘screening’ Gabriel Martinelli ahead of Brazil’s shock 2-1 loss to Manchester City.
With City already in the draw, Aymeric Laporte led his own keeper Ederson to an almost comical goal.
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Somehow Nathan Acke got the ball off the line, but he could only get it in Martinelli’s path.
Still with the goal gaping, the in-form Arsenal man cut his effort from outside the post.
But while watching the replays, some Gunners fans took to social media to point out that referee Atwell cut Martinelli off and made the opportunity more difficult for him.
Responding to the clip, the original poster said: “How could the referee set up a screen on Martinelli before his missed opportunity???”
And then many other Arsenal fans expressed their anger at Atwell’s activities.
One said: “The only person who should score runs like this is the striker, not the referee.”
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Another said: “This is absolutely insane.
“The referees learn about positioning. How can he run around an attacking player to reach the six-yard box for an open goal?
“It’s very inefficient for an experienced referee. In a five-a-side it will drive you crazy.”
And the third said: “Unforgivable. Such a bad position as an officer, there is absolutely no need to encroach on that action.
“No denying Gabi should have scored, but the fact that he had to re-adjust already on his weaker side makes it less inevitable.”
Martinelli was made to pay for his omission as the resulting goal kick sent Gunners defender Gabriel to the second yellow card after body-checking Gabriel Jesus.
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Despite going down to 10 men, Arsenal looked like they were about to stall for a point and in doing so prevented Man City from winning their 11th consecutive Premier League game.
But in stoppage time, the defending champions found a way to snatch the win as Rodri slammed the winner too close.
The defeat ended Mikel Arteta’s run of four wins in a row as Spurs closed the gap on him with their dramatic win at Watford.
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